Wood Studio House | Dom Arquitectura

Wood Studio House sits on a forested hillside near Sant Cugat del Vallès, a small city north of Barcelona, Spain. It is designed to be a residence but for now it is being used as a workspace. The house was built on an existing foundation, resulting in a rectangular shape with the long side oriented to the south. Dom Arquitectura took advantage of the southern orientation, designing the dwelling for passive solar heating as well as by placing solar panels for water heating on the roof. They further reduced the home’s environmental impact by building it from sustainable materials.

The architects cut out two corners from the basic rectangular floor plan, one for a covered entry and the other for a small inset porch. There is 76 m2 (818 ft2) of floor space which, aside from the bathroom, is an open L-shaped space. However it is divided into two functional areas by a fireplace and the jog in the wall.

The long-term plan is that the smaller portion, currently used as an office/studio, will at some point be turned into a bedroom by building a wall behind the fireplace. The other part would be an open living area with the existing wall of cabinetry becoming the kitchen.

Both parts have large south-facing windows for passive solar heating in winter. To keep the heat out in summer, the glass is shaded by the porch roof and a louvered brise soleil. Small windows on the north side allow for breezes to ventilate the home.

As its name suggest, Wood Studio House was built with a wood frame and has mostly wood finishes (fir on the exterior, pine inside), all sourced from nearby sustainably-managed forests. The roof is metal, facilitating the collection of rainwater, which is stored in several large tanks beneath the house. Adding a bit of variety to the interior finishes, white linoleum was chosen for the floors. Linoleum is a durable floor covering manufactured from renewable natural materials.

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